What Happened To Us?
by drewvansexy
Summary: Aria collapsed onto his chest, crying, hoping she would get to hear his voice one last time, "Please, Ezra. I love you." He took one final breath and pressed his lips to her ear, using any strength he had left to speak... "I hate you," he whispered. The steady beeping turned solid as she wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her cheeks. How did it end like this?
1. Chapter 1

**September 2nd, 2013**

Aria sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her hands in his, "I- I'm so sorry..." she said softly. He looked into her warm hazel eyes as his breathing slowed. She knew this was it. She could see his eyelids getting heavier and how hard it was for him to stay awake. Aria collapsed onto his chest, crying, hoping she would get to hear his voice one last time, "Please, Ezra. I love you."

He took one final breath and pressed his lips to her ear, using any strength he had left to speak...

_ "I hate you," _he whispered.

The steady beeping turned solid as she wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

**_June 10th, 2013_**

_"Ezra, stop!" Aria giggled as his fingers danced along her stomach. She tugged on his arms which were wrapped around her waist, her back pushing against his chest as she struggled to get out of his grasp. "Ezra!" She let out a playful yelp and managed to turn towards him, still locked in his embrace. _

_Ezra continued to laugh when he saw the frown on Aria's face, "What?" he asked, giving her an innocent smile._

_"I'm serious."_

_"Fine you win," he grinned. "Like always." He set her free and walked to the kitchen._

_Aria fell back onto the couch and let out a sigh. "Everything alright?" Ezra asked._

_"Nothing, it's stupid."_

_He handed her a cup of coffee before sitting down himself, lifting her legs and placing them over his lap, "Aria..."_

_"I just missed you." She smiled into her mug as she took a sip, glancing up at him shyly._

_He ran his hand up and down her leg, "I was only gone for a few days."_

_"A few days too many." She put her mug down on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I don't like it when you're gone."_

_"Well, it's a good thing I'm not gonna be gone anymore."_

_"No more trips?"_

_"No more trips," he said, smiling._

_"Wait..." __she smiled back and brought him closer to her, "_Does this mean you got the editing job?" 

_"This means we're going out for dinner tonight."_

_Aria's face lit up as she crashed her lips against his. Ezra flew back in surprise before he returned the kiss, running his tongue along her lower lip. She allowed his tongue to slip into her mouth and pushed on his chest, causing Ezra to lie down with her on top of him. The two continued to move their bodies in perfect rhythm, lost in the passion of their kiss. Ezra ran his fingers through Aria's long wavy hair as her hands rested on either side of his head.  
_

_The sound of Aria's phone ringing in the kitchen made her sit up. "Let it go..." Ezra said, pulling her face back down to his. Aria gave him one more kiss before getting up, causing Ezra to groan as she lifted herself off of him. _

_Aria picked up her phone, "Hello?" she answered. "Oh, hey mom."_

_Ezra walked over and stood behind her, moving her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck. A cold shiver ran down Aria's spine as his lips brushed against her neck, "Yes mom, I'm with him right now." Aria could feel Ezra smile against her skin. "No I won't be home tonight, we're going out for dinner." Ezra's warm breath swept over her ear, "Okay, mom, I love you but I really have to go. Bye." Aria quickly ended the call and Ezra took the phone out of her hand, placing it on the counter._

_"Ezra, you really need to stop doing that," she said, looking over her shoulder._

_"Doing what?" he whispered into her ear, resting his hands on Aria's hips._

_"That, especially when I'm talking to my mother." _

_"It's not my fault I can't control myself when I'm with you," Ezra smiled._

_"It's entirely your fault."_

_"Well then I guess this is my fault too..." Ezra swept her off of the ground and carried her over to the bed. _

_"Ezra! Put me down!"_

_"As you wish, my love." He threw her gently on the bed and climbed on top of her, immediately pressing his lips to hers. She helped Ezra remove his shirt and toss it to the side. Her fingers were tangled in his hair as he made his way to her neck._

_"Ezra..."_

_"Mmm?" Ezra mumbled._

___Aria placed a hand on his chest, _"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the gift bag on his dresser.

_He lifted his head to see where she was looking, "It's nothing." He turned back to her, leaning in for another kiss, but she pulled back again. _

_She got off the bed and walked to the dresser, "Doesn't look like nothing."_

_Ezra reluctantly stood up, "It's a present. For you."_

_Aria raised an eyebrow and picked up the card next to the bag, "For me?"_

_His eyes shifted to the floor, "I was gonna give it to you at dinner."_

_"To the love of my life," Aria read, "There isn't anywhere I'd rather celebrate than here with you. No matter what happens after this summer, these past few years have been the best of my life. I love you more than anything, Your Ezra."_

_Ezra turned bright red as Aria reached for his hand, "It sounds better when you don't read it aloud," he said._

_She smiled, "Baby, nothing is going to happen next year. It's only college."_

_He let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I guess."_

_"Nothing will change. It'll just be a new city, that's all."_

_"New city, new friends... New boys."_

___Aria touched his face, forcing him to look at her. _"Okay, stop. Don't do that." 

_"What? It's true."_

_"I love you, Ezra. I'll love you forever. You are coming with me next year and we are going to start our lives together. No more parents getting in the way, no more small town drama, just you and me."_

_Ezra bit his tongue, wanting desperately to say how wrong she was, but he kept quiet and smiled._

_"Now can I open the actual present or are you really going to make me wait?" she asked, pleading with her eyes._

_He sighed, "Aria, you know I can't say no when you look at me like that."_

_A smug expression crossed her face. "I know," she said, ripping open the bag._

_Inside there was a small box with a golden bow wrapped around it. She untied the bow and lifted the top to reveal a stunning skull necklace with matching earrings. Her jaw dropped as she took in the beautiful sight. Her index finger slid over the silver chain and skull accent before moving on to the earrings._

_"You like them?" Ezra asked._

_Aria snapped out of her daze, "Like them? Ezra, these are perfect!"_

_He picked up the necklace, "Here, turn around." Aria spun around eagerly, letting out a small gasp as the cold metal touched her chest. He clasped it shut and she reached down to play with the jewelry resting around her neck. _

_She turned to look in the mirror, "It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you."_

___Ezra gave her a kiss on the cheek. _"Anything for you."

* * *

_Aria was still working on the seemingly finished chocolate lava cake that was sitting in the middle of the table._

_"You know, I don't think there's anything left on there for you to eat," he said, laughing._

___Aria swiped her finger along the bottom of the plate, picking _up any remnants of th_e dessert and putting it in her mouth. "You're just a pessimist," she said, wiping her hand on her napkin and taking the last sip of champagne from her glass._

_A huge smile spread across his face as he looked at the beautiful girl sitting across from him. So mature yet so young and playful at the same time. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd been to know such an amazing woman, and at the same time he couldn't help but think how unlucky she'd been to have met him. He knew that it could never end well, but it was the times like this that he forgot about the world and all of their misfortune._

_A waiter placed the paid bill on the table and Ezra quickly slipped his credit card back into his wallet. "Ready?" he asked as he finished signing the slip of paper, "Or perhaps you'd like to lick the plate?"_

_Aria glared at him as she stood up, rolling her eyes when he extended his arm to her. He chuckled to himself, "I'm sorry. Shall we?"_

_She put her arm through his and the two walked out of the restaurant._

_The cold wind felt extremely harsh against Aria's bare shoulders. Ezra noticed her shiver and offered her his jacket, placing it around her body as she willingly accepted it. Ezra called for a taxi and brought his arm around Aria's waist, pulling her closer to him. It didn't take long for the driver to arrive and Ezra opened the door, allowing Aria to step inside before him. _

_"Where to?" The driver asked._

_"Rosewood," Ezra said, closing the door as he got in._

_The taxi started up and Aria leaned against Ezra's chest, her head resting on his shoulder. "Thank you for tonight," she said, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers._

_"It's my pleasure," Ezra replied. _

_He brought her hand up to his lips and laid a small kiss on the backside of her palm. Aria closed her eyes and let herself doze off in his arms. He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled. __He moved his mouth to the side of her face and whispered, "I love you, Aria. Forever." _


	2. Chapter 2

**June 23rd, 2013**

_Perfect._

_That was the only word he could think of as the two of them laid side by side, letting the warm summer air sweep over their still bodies. Ezra watched as the wind hit her peaceful face and stirred the blades of grass that intertwined with her dark wavy hair. The sun reflected off of the surface of her necklace, the necklace that he gave to her just a few weeks prior. _

_"You're staring." Aria said, her eyes still closed._

_"I can't help it." Ezra replied. It was true, he couldn't help himself. Her beauty drew his eyes to her in a way that he couldn't __explain. _

_"Careful," She pulled her lips into a smirk and turned her head towards Ezra, opening her eyes, "__People might think you're a creep."_

___He frowned and turned his body on his side, facing away from her, "Is this better?" _

___Aria chuckled to herself and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back to her, "No, no I much prefer this," she said, leaning over his body to give him a kiss. Her hair swept over his face as she rolled off of him and settled on her back again. It was quiet for a few moments before Aria spoke, "Why can't summer last forever?" _

___"Nothing lasts forever." he pointed out, quite matter-of-factly. _

___"It was a rhetorical question." she said, looking up at the sky._

___Ezra thought about his words, and although they came out much darker than he intended, he thought about how true they would prove to be. Forevers didn't exist, not for him at least. He was well aware of that, but as the clocked ticked down he sometimes found himself wondering if forever was possible. Listening to this girl talk about infinities gave him a special kind of hope. The kind of hope that he knew was misplaced, but chose to put faith in anyway. The rest of forever. It was something Aria always said. If there was one thing he could be sure of, he would be spending the rest of his forever with the girl he loved more than anything. _

___Ezra snapped out of his train of thought and glanced at Aria, "Now you're the one staring."_

___She smiled and put her hand over his chest, resting her head on his arm, "What are you thinking about?"_

___"You." he said shyly, stroking her arm with his fingertips._

___"Yeah? What about me?"_

___"Just that I love you. I mean I really, **really** love you."_

___Her cheeks turned bright red as she buried her face in his chest, wondering how she could have possibly found someone like Ezra Fitz. There was always a catch with boys like him. She knew that he had to have a horrible secret just waiting to come out and rip his perfect image apart, but no matter what he did he was still the same Ezra. There was always a catch, but every moment Aria spent with him she thought that maybe just this once, there wasn't. _

___It was silent again. The only sounds came from the whistling of leaves or the occasional bird singing as it flew by. For Aria and Ezra it was a comfortable silence. That was something not commonly found among couples, the idea of comfortable silence. For most people it was awkward, but for them it was something to be cherished. Aria could think of no better way to spend her afternoon as she listened carefully to Ezra's soothing heartbeat, her head rising up and down with his chest. His mind wandered as he stared up at the clouds, picking apart each one to look like Aria; her eyes, her leg, her lips. He saw her in everything. She consumed his every thought just as he consumed hers. A relationship was something neither of them had put much thought into considering both of their parents were divorced. They didn't look for love the way most people their age did, it just happened. It was unexpected. Aria was used to running away before things got too serious but Ezra came so suddenly, so surprisingly, that she had already fallen before she even realized it. Maybe it was fate, chance, or maybe pure luck. Whatever it was, it was once in a lifetime._

___Twenty minutes passed without saying a word, both enjoying their own thoughts in each other's company, "Ezra?" Aria asked, lifted her head._

___"Hmm?" _

___Aria sat up, "I'm hungry." _

___Ezra laughed and stood up, extending his hand to her. ____She took his hand and he pulled her onto her feet. Keeping his fingers locked with hers, they walked out of the park. They reached the main road and Ezra tried to ignore the dirty looks they received. He felt like a criminal when he walked through the streets of Rosewood, which he wasn't since Aria was no longer his student and of age. It bothered him that very few could understand how right he and Aria were for each other. ____Sometimes Ezra smiled to himself when he passed by a scowling face, because he knew that they could spend a lifetime trying to find what he and Aria had and still never get it. _His mind counted down to the day when they would move to California together and start living the the life he knew Aria deserved. He hated seeing the effects that their taboo relationship had on her life in Rosewood. Her family, her classmates, and most of the town used it against her and he couldn't help but feel responsible. If only he had controlled his feelings and never let himself fall for her. However, the truth was that after meeting her in the bar, he laid awake that night already falling foolishly in love with Aria Montgomery. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that they were wrong once they realized their situation, it was too late.

___Ezra held the door for Aria as she entered the brew. ____"Hey Aria," said a voice from behind the counter. Aria looked up to see Emily walking in her direction. Emily gave her a quick hug and nodded towards the man standing at Aria's side, "Ezra." _

___"It's good to see you Emily." he said, smiling._

___She walked back to the counter as Aria and Ezra followed, "So, what can I get you guys?"_

___Aria ordered first, "Caesar salad and iced coffee, please."_

___"And I'll take a muffin and a cappuccino." he said, removing his arm from Aria's waist to retrieve his wallet. Emily quickly prepared their coffee and his muffin, "The salad will only be a few minutes." she said, taking the card in Ezra's hand. He paid for them both and grabbed his coffee and muffin, "I'm gonna get a table." _

___As soon as he walked away Emily's smile grew to cover her entire face. "What?" Aria asked defensively, sipping on her drink._

___"Nothing, it's just nice seeing you two out in public."_

___Aria rolled her eyes, "Glad someone thinks so."_

___Emily smiled apologetically, "But hey, you're moving out to California with him soon, yeah?"_

___Aria's face lit up at the thought, "End of July."_

___"If anyone deserves to get out of this shitty town it's you two," Emily sighed, "I'll really miss you though..." _

___"Hey, I'm not leaving tomorrow!" Aria replied, "No goodbyes yet."_

___A man placed Aria's food on the counter as Emily glanced at the group of students walking through the door, "I gotta get back to work, I'll see you at Spencer's later tonight." Aria smiled as she walked to the table Ezra was seated at. She was happy that there was at least one person she didn't need to say goodbye to._

___"So are you staying over tonight?" Ezra asked as Aria finished her salad. His voice sounded desperate._

___"I can't, I'm meeting the girls at Spencer's tonight. Relax babe, you're moving across the country with me. For the rest of forever, right?"_

___He smiled and reached for her hand, "Right."_

___As people walked in and out of the Brew they stared and whispered at the couple quietly laughing in the corner. Aria and Ezra seemed to be in their own world when they were together. They hadn't even noticed the copious amounts of attention they were receiving until some of Aria's former classmates decided to sit next to them. I____n what appeared to be a not-so-subtle attempt to be loud and obnoxious, Aria found them easy to ignore. Everything they said were things she'd heard countless times before, but for Ezra it was unmanageable. He was okay with the rumors about him, but he couldn't stand to hear people talk about Aria. Ezra was always kind and forgiving, but if there was one thing that made him angry this was it. Aria, recognizing the rare look of rage in his eyes, stood from the table and dragged him along with her._

___As they walked towards the exit she stopped suddenly, "Let them whisper, Ezra. They can't touch us." she said quietly, gently pressing her lips to his. He took her hand as they left and chuckled as ____Aria blew a kiss in the direction of the speechless students that had been sitting next to them. She was fearless, and although she would never admit it to him, Ezra was the only person she could be fearless around. He was the only person who made her feel safe enough and vice versa. They broke down each others walls and used the pieces to rebuild one of their own. A wall that surrounded them and protected them against the harsh blows of reality the world loved to throw at them. _


End file.
